Raleigh's violent crime has remained flat this year, but noise violations are up
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Violent crime in Raleigh has remained flat this year, new police chief Rico Boyce said this week, but the city has made progress in some property crimes.
Why it matters: Homicides have declined in most major U.S. cities this year — the latest sign that violent crime in America is falling from after COVID crime wave, Axios' Russell Contreras writes.
- Both Raleigh and Durham saw homicides increase after 2020, but each saw declines last year.
Driving the news: Boyce, who was named police chief in February, said this week that there wasn't a significant change to the number of violent crimes, like homicides and assaults, through the first half of the year.
Zoom in: But there was notable declines in certain areas, Boyce said, including:
- Residential burglaries down 14%
- Larceny for motor vehicles down 19%
- And motor vehicle thefts down 27%
State of play: Boyce said he was particularly happy to see the decline in motor vehicle thefts after helping launching a task force last year. He said he has made the auto theft task force a permanent part of the Raleigh Police Department.
- He added that RPD is going to launch new initiatives to address gun violence and assaults.
- "We're going to look at establishing a community violence interrupter program," he said. "That's one area we're going to focus on because we understand that shooting, that aggravated assault is one millimeter from being possibly a homicide."
Between the lines: One area, though, that has proved to be a difficult issue for the city is rising complaints about excessive noise, Boyce said.
- One particular cause is modified cars and mufflers.
- Boyce said RPD is upping its enforcement of loud vehicles, and Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell said the city is shutting some high-profile streets at night in downtown, where many drivers like to rev their engines.
What they're saying: "What I really hear about [from residents] is trash, panhandling and noise," Cowell told reporters this week. "All of those things may not be quite as dramatic, but they're very important to a quality of life."
Editor's note: This story has been updated to remove an erroneous statement about Raleigh's nightlife permits.